Winning the award this month for “Most Insane Project Mockup”, I give you the Plattabass. It’s a bass. It’s a record player. It has magnetic sensors embedded in the neck. And yes, that is a crossfader. Even crazier: Mobius (Ray Belden) plans to actually build this thing. We’ll be watching.

Proposed specs, courtesy Ray:

2 assignable cross faders, an extreme pitch control that goes to zero RMP, a thumb worn magnet that triggers a sensor inlaid in the back of the neck

The record player needs to lie perfectly horizontal or close to it, doesn't it? Not the best position for playing bass. Maybe that cartridge is (yuck) spring-loaded?

The records will skip when the bass is played, won't they?

This seems, um… how to say it nicely… pointless, if not misguided.

Please see if Ray will explain why he thinks it makes sense to integrate these 2 things into one unit.

Mobius Ray

To all who lack skill, but love to dis. The plattabass is a hybrid instrument I dreamed up because I am a turntablist who plays the bass. Just because you can't figure out why I am making it does not mean it is pointless. If you ever strapped on a bass, you'll know its difficult to do much else while playing it, even though there is plenty of time to play accompaniments on other instruments during the jam. Every since I saw the Run DMC wear a pair of turntables on their shoulders, I wanted to find a way to walk around with a turntable and perform. I am a craftsman with skill working glass, metal , and wood, but I knew very little about guitars when I set out to make the Plattabass. I contacted my old friend, and world class luthier Dave Tupper, who was kind enough to give me some lessons on setup, and basic construction technics. Since then I have collected several old basses , and turntables to cannibalize for prototyping. I have all the parts assembled in my lab for the first Plattabass now. I even have a layout photo http://beta.zooomr.com/photos/33396@Z01/750028 . Soon there will be a video up on Revver for you all to watch in awe. Mobuis Ray

http://sonsofjob.blogspot.com Augmentalist

I can verify Mobius Ray is insane!

gimme a J

So, you dis me for saying that it "seems" pointless even while I politely asked for an explanation.

I would like to hear more, exactly, about how this will work, I agree, but I would refrain from using the word "pointless."

gimme a J

I submit that my tone may have seemed dismissive, if not downright rude, and I apologize for that. The Plattabass is just so bizarre (which is not a bad thing!) that I can't comprehend the concept behind it.

It's an interesting project, Mobius Ray, otherwise I wouldn't have asked for more info!

Peace/out.

Mobius Ray

It's all good. We all have different ideas about how to produce music. This is my instrument, made specificly for my skill set, and style. I have no problem with someone who struggles to understand what I am doing, but I don't care for negative comments. I am happy to explain the concept, but I think you would really just have to see it. So when it's done, I will be posting video. Unfortunately I have had very little time to work on the plattabass in the past couple months , but it is still in the works. I will keep this blog up to date as it develops.

Mobius Ray

Okay, so It's been a long while, and I have done very little to complete this project. I have been spent the last 14 months, building , and maintaining bicycles for Stanford students. I will be focusing on my music projects for the rest of the year. I will hopefully be able to post photos of a prototype before to long. Thanks for being patient.

http://thepejoratives.ca Bass Invader

Make two – i want one!

http://www.megatar.com Traktor Topaz for Mo

Fascinating approach, Mobius Ray.

Best wishes from Mobius Megatar (federally registered trademark for our musical instruments). We make unusual basses. (See videos and songs and design pix on our site.)

I'm getting an excellent education on the process of buing a quality instrument. I have not forgotten about the Plattabass. I hope to have a working prototype soon.

Mobius Ray

http://www.rc420.com Ryan Clark

There is this really awesome band from Toronto called Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker. The dj Jason Parsons uses a custom cdj guitar hero controller hack which sounded very cool and looked somewhat practical to use. Check it @1:20: